Communications Associate – Local Post for Nationals of Egypt

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

In support of the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women (NSEEW), the work of the UN Women Egypt Country Office (ECO) is grounded in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). Under the Egypt/UN Cooperation Framework, UN Women implements its triple mandate of supporting normative standard-setting to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, working with the Government of Egypt, civil society, and the private sector on implementing international and national commitments and best practices, and strengthening UN system coordination in this regard. Since the early 1990s, UN Women ECO has consolidated its expertise, partnerships, and investments around three main areas of work: women’s leadership and system-wide support to advancing gender equality; women’s economic empowerment; and eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices.

Under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027), the ECO’s country portfolio continues to focus on the above, utilizing the following strategies: supporting regional and global normative for a and related commitments; drawing from global standards and practices; contributing to evidenced-based, nationally-led legislative reform and knowledge development; supporting all women’s access to skills, services, and networks; supporting platforms and partnerships for women’s enhanced voice and leadership, including young women, rural women and women living with disabilities; developing nationally specific innovative financing mechanisms and tools, including gender-responsive budgeting; and advancing nationally and community- owned change in the attitudes and behaviors which may limit the advancement of women and girls, with the close engagement of men and boys as champions. 

Reporting to the Communication and Advocacy Analyst, the Communications Associate supports the development and implementation of the communications and advocacy strategies to increase the standing and awareness of UN Women with partners, the media and the public. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide coordination support in the development of a coherent Egypt ECO communications and advocacy strategy: 

• Provide inputs and background information for the development of the ECO communication strategy;
• Provide support to advocacy efforts and campaigns by organizing roundtable discussions, press conferences, and other publicity events and providing inputs to briefing materials and press releases;
• Provide support to programme teams and other ECO staff on UN Women corporate communications guidelines and printing norms;
• Track and monitor print and social media and report relevant information to senior staff to inform strategy development.
• Draft annual communication workplan in coordination with programme teams
• Coordinate with programme teams, partners and donors to ensure effective implementation of activities in line with UN Women communication guidelines and policies
• Develop quarterly progress reports on programmatic communication activities to be shared with donors and relevant partners
• Participate in the UN Communication Group meetings and assist in coordinating with other UN agencies on communication plans, as needed.
• Coordinate procurement requests for implementation of communication activities including drafting of relevant terms of reference and requests for proposals.
• Support UN Women Egypt in all public and advocacy events and ensure proper visibility,

2. Provide coordination support to the development of CO’s advocacy materials:

• Identify storylines and achievements within the ECO for online and print publications;
• Draft press releases, articles, key messages and other advocacy materials in English and Arabic;
• Coordinate the translation, adaptation, or rewriting of information received for the local context; disseminate materials to appropriate stakeholders;
• Coordinate the publication of materials for final approval; maintain relationships with printers/ publishers;
• Maintain library/ database of reference materials, photos, and digital assets;
• Follow guidelines from RO/HQ.

3. Provide support in the management of the CO’s social media presence and website:

• Identify stories, and provide input to the development of content for the ECO website and social media channels;
• Update and manage the website and social media channels;
• Research, compile and produce reports on web statistics on a regular basis;
• Maintain files, databases, and systems relevant to the ECO’s digital presence.

4. Provide media relations support:

• Serve as alternate focal point on UN Women activities open to the press, as necessary;
• Maintain and update database of relevant press in country;
• Arrange media interviews, as delegated;
• Develop media sentiments and media coverage reports
• Arrange interview, press conferences and media field visits as pert of the programme/project activities.

5. Facilitate knowledge management and sharing:

• Contribute to the identification of best practices and lessons learned;
• Support in organizing trainings and workshops on communications practices;

6. The incumbent performs other duties within his/her functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The Communications Associate will supervise one online volunteer to support in media monitoring and one Communication-related consultant (e.g. Editor/Story Writer) 

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: 

Functional Competencies

• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality;
• Strong event planning skills;
• Strong knowledge of social media and communication strategies and methods;
• Ability to identify relevant events and stories and communicate them to a mass audience;
• Strong multimedia skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, Public Relations or Journalism is required.

Experience

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in providing support to the formulation and implementation of internal and external communications and advocacy strategies and related plans, required;
• Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) as well as web-based management systems, required;
• Experience in the use of social media and digital communications, required.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required;
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Application: Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. 

Interested Individual Candidate must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• ((ESSENTIAL)) All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11). UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from make sure that you sign the form, and
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment, and
• A cover letter with a brief presentation explaining your suitability for the vacancy;

The above-mentioned documents MUST BE merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to uploading one file per application.

You can merge your documents by using Online resources. 

Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. Make sure that you provide a valid email address for future communications.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)